Monthly Archives: May 2012
The Life of Worship – What is It?
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 Over the past 25 to 30 years, I can’t tell you how many books, articles, sermons, and seminars I have read or listened to on the topic of worship. There are a lot of convictions, declarations, and opinions – some good, some not so much. I know I have definite convictions on the subject. The majority of my ministry has been spent being involved in studying and seeking to worship and lead worship in a manner that is pleasing and exalting God. Looking back over the decades (I can’t believe I can say that – decades!), there are some things I think I got right. There are other areas that I stumbled through. Today, I am still on the pursuit – some days are better than others. The declaration made by Jesus, in the passage above, is a radical shift from what people of His day thought about worship and religion. It is a radical shift from what most of us believe. Even for those of us who know all of the right answers, in our hearts, there is always a battle going on. There will always be a struggle to worship God in spirit and truth. The world will not do us … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Living, Foundations, Life of Worship
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The Making of a Recording and the Molding of a Man
As many of you know who follow this blog, Christ Community Worship will release its first CD this Sunday. We will have a celebration event to praise God for what He has done in and through this project. We will also ask God to use it for His glory and the spreading of the gospel. I won’t talk about the event more here. If you want more information, go to the CCW Facebook page (like us on Facebook!) or the CCW website. The project was a long journey. It started with some music. It involved the suggestions, encouragement, and vision of several people. Then, add in the gifts and talents of many others, who have a heart for God and a desire to use these gifts for the glory of God and to tell of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Generosity of time, resources, and money also helped pave the way. Then, there was the work of getting the project completed. Hundreds, and probably thousands, of combined hours of work went into the completion of the project. And it was work. I must confess, there were times when I wanted to be done with it. If I heard my voice one more time, I thought I would scream. Every glitch and variance would stand out to me. There were times that it was not an enjoyable experience. Then, there times when I would stand back in disbelief at what God had done and was doing through the process. I still … Continue reading
Singing the Blues
Our son, Caleb, is an avid sports fan. Actually, it goes way beyond that. Recently, he watched the NFL draft. The whole thing. All three days. All seven rounds. I don’t even know who most of the players are. He knows almost all of them, including their position and school. He loves sports. You name it, he will watch it. So, when the hometown hockey team gets into the playoffs, it is a big deal. The St. Louis Blues are in the second round of the playoffs, but it has not been going as well as the first round. The most recent game was particularly rough. By the end of the 1st period, they were losing 4-0. My wife and I had been out shopping, while Caleb stayed home and watched the game with his brother. We returned home, only to be greeted with this sight. Caleb had a paper bag on his head, with “4-0 L.A. Kings” written on the front. Unsure how exactly to respond, I mentioned that it must not be going very well. He proceeded to pull the bag off of head, said, “4 to nothing!” and threw the bag on the floor as he walked out disgusted. Life does not always come in the package that we like. When faced with various struggles and challenges, we don’t always measure up the way we would like. We are fallen. Life is often hard and we stumble and fall. It can make us want to “put the … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Living, Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Sovereignty, Hope, Trust
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